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Baggy Green ball tampering: Bancroft, Smith and the Aussie "Leadership Group"
- Thread starter zaremba
- Start date
Nintendo
Cricketer Of The Year
No no we can't have actual hard hitting journalism instead we need more attention on the yearly Australia Day debate or crystal dildo's and the spiritual benifits they provide for women.
Starfighter
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
That was my thought too. Seemed very convenient to dredge it up as soon as Smith reassuming the captaincy firmed as a definite possibility.
Going back to him is a mistake, but not for the reasons the media would think.
Shady Slim
International Coach
seeing all of these correct takes on smith's captaincy is a win for Shady Slim Thought but you're all getting part two of your inquiry wrong
quincywagstaff
International Debutant
The reaction to it is the key though.
Like I argued in my original post, what Bancroft said was so indecisive and vague (and prob led on by the interviewer) that it didn't really add up to much but the way the Oz media reacted to it you'd think Bancroft had published video footage showing ball tampering was practised at all training sessions.
There seems a real split within Oz cricket admin and media over whether going back to Smith is the right move and this was the excuse to bring it all out in the open again.
mr_mister
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
The casual acknowledgement that 'yeah you're right, bowlers probably knew about it' instead of vehement denial is a bit odd though. It's like Bancroft didn't realise the weight of what he was saying at all. So there was a giant cover up? But it was a couple of years ago so who cares? It's all pretty funny
Bancroft is an idiot
He’s 28 now and was 25 when it happened
No kid
Not that he’s good enough anyway but he’s basically signed a death warrant on his test career now
Last edited:
2018: Jeff Thomson believes Steve Smith should face lifetime ban from cricket
“They should not get a match penalty, they should just get flicked. I don’t care who they are, they should just see ya later,”
“It’s a slur on everyone who’s ever played cricket. They’re like spoilt brats if it doesn’t go their way, they spit the dummy, whinge about it, carry on stupidly,”
2020: Jeff Thomson admits to deliberately tampering the ball
“We were playing at the Gabba playing Tasmania on a flat as s*** wicket. I was bowling, Boony (David Boon) was batting I think,” Thomson said.
“The ball was s***. Kookaburra started making really bad balls because there was no opposition. So the s*** that they made was crap and soft.
“I’d asked the umpire before the lunch break, ‘This ball’s s***.’ He said, ‘There’s nothing wrong with this.’ It was like a marshmallow.
“At the lunch break, Greg Chappell said to me, ‘We’ve got to get rid of this ball.’ I said, ‘I’ll fix this freaking thing up.’
“This is a true story. Remember those old razor blades? Just a blade on either side, a flat piece of steel. I put that in my pocket.
“I’ve run around the quarter seam with it and around the main seam, but I pushed it a bit hard. I bowled this ball to Boony, and the thing was nearly fallen in quarters like an orange.
“After lunch, I said, ‘I told you this ball was f*****, look at this,’ and (the umpire) has gone, ‘Jesus, I’ve never seen a ball do this.’
“It’s got clean cuts, it’s not even frayed on the stitching. It’s f***ing clean cut, it was very odd.
“Anyway, we got a new ball and I got him out and we won the f***ing match.
“That’s how you cheat.”
“They should not get a match penalty, they should just get flicked. I don’t care who they are, they should just see ya later,”
“It’s a slur on everyone who’s ever played cricket. They’re like spoilt brats if it doesn’t go their way, they spit the dummy, whinge about it, carry on stupidly,”
2020: Jeff Thomson admits to deliberately tampering the ball
“We were playing at the Gabba playing Tasmania on a flat as s*** wicket. I was bowling, Boony (David Boon) was batting I think,” Thomson said.
“The ball was s***. Kookaburra started making really bad balls because there was no opposition. So the s*** that they made was crap and soft.
“I’d asked the umpire before the lunch break, ‘This ball’s s***.’ He said, ‘There’s nothing wrong with this.’ It was like a marshmallow.
“At the lunch break, Greg Chappell said to me, ‘We’ve got to get rid of this ball.’ I said, ‘I’ll fix this freaking thing up.’
“This is a true story. Remember those old razor blades? Just a blade on either side, a flat piece of steel. I put that in my pocket.
“I’ve run around the quarter seam with it and around the main seam, but I pushed it a bit hard. I bowled this ball to Boony, and the thing was nearly fallen in quarters like an orange.
“After lunch, I said, ‘I told you this ball was f*****, look at this,’ and (the umpire) has gone, ‘Jesus, I’ve never seen a ball do this.’
“It’s got clean cuts, it’s not even frayed on the stitching. It’s f***ing clean cut, it was very odd.
“Anyway, we got a new ball and I got him out and we won the f***ing match.
“That’s how you cheat.”
Starfighter
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Nearly forty years later and the situation hasn't changed.
Daemon
Request Your Custom Title Now!
Thomson seems like one of loosest ex cricketers out there. His interviews for Fire in Babylon (iirc) showed how he dgaf and was literally out for blood.2018: Jeff Thomson believes Steve Smith should face lifetime ban from cricket
“They should not get a match penalty, they should just get flicked. I don’t care who they are, they should just see ya later,”
“It’s a slur on everyone who’s ever played cricket. They’re like spoilt brats if it doesn’t go their way, they spit the dummy, whinge about it, carry on stupidly,”
2020: Jeff Thomson admits to deliberately tampering the ball
“We were playing at the Gabba playing Tasmania on a flat as s*** wicket. I was bowling, Boony (David Boon) was batting I think,” Thomson said.
“The ball was s***. Kookaburra started making really bad balls because there was no opposition. So the s*** that they made was crap and soft.
“I’d asked the umpire before the lunch break, ‘This ball’s s***.’ He said, ‘There’s nothing wrong with this.’ It was like a marshmallow.
“At the lunch break, Greg Chappell said to me, ‘We’ve got to get rid of this ball.’ I said, ‘I’ll fix this freaking thing up.’
“This is a true story. Remember those old razor blades? Just a blade on either side, a flat piece of steel. I put that in my pocket.
“I’ve run around the quarter seam with it and around the main seam, but I pushed it a bit hard. I bowled this ball to Boony, and the thing was nearly fallen in quarters like an orange.
“After lunch, I said, ‘I told you this ball was f*****, look at this,’ and (the umpire) has gone, ‘Jesus, I’ve never seen a ball do this.’
“It’s got clean cuts, it’s not even frayed on the stitching. It’s f***ing clean cut, it was very odd.
“Anyway, we got a new ball and I got him out and we won the f***ing match.
“That’s how you cheat.”
Line and Length
Cricketer Of The Year
Just as he proclaimed to be while playing.
Aritro
International Regular
I get the feeling it might be cos he's a daytime drunk in his old age tbh. Or if not that, he was at least pissed as **** during some of his more colourful public appearances, such as in that Ashes doco and the HoF speech above, and when he was on stage as a guest at an MCC do.
He was a lot more lucid and composed doing media work even in his 50s. And he did a Cricket Legends interview with Crash maybe a couple of years ago where he seemed fairly restrained and even, which I took to be an indication of sobriety on that particular day.
FWIW, that Ashes one was called Forged in Fire or something similar. Fire in Babylon was the ATG doco about West Indian cricket.
Daemon
Request Your Custom Title Now!
That is brilliant
Daemon
Request Your Custom Title Now!
Haha pretty sure forged in fire is an over the top show history channel type of show about making swords or something
Daemon
Request Your Custom Title Now!
I love shows like that.
Pawn Stars, Bigfoot Uncovered and Ancient Aliens some of my favourites.
SillyCowCorner1
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No, that’s the Sword Whisperer.